‘First Rodeo’ by Kelsea Ballerini - Lyrics & Meaning

Arriving as the final single in the lead-up to Kelsea Ballerini's keenly anticipated 2024 album, PATTERNS, ‘First Rodeo’ follows in the warmly optimistic, hopeful tone of ‘Sorry Mom’. It finds the Tennessee crooner cautiously examining a new relationship under the microscope, utilising an evocative, playful flurry of images relating to the classic rodeo to convey her conflicting feelings of excitement and hesitance.

It's another example of Kelsea's unique ability to capture a vivid cornucopia of emotions in the space of just three minutes, with ’First Rodeo’ backing up the message of ‘Two Things’ by underlining how both ends of a seemingly contrasting duality can be valid together. The protagonist in ‘First Rodeo’ embraces the fact that they can be delighted about a new romance, while still feeling nervous or apprehensive about the pace at which it progresses at first - and both feelings deserve space.

‘First Rodeo’ feels like the perfect balance of the sleek, sparse R&B-infusion of Rolling Up The Welcome Mat and the unashamedly bright, country ambience of SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Kelsea Ballerini's enchanting, lucid vocals glide across an emphatic, energising drum pattern, with the hook accompanied by a hazy, atmospheric swell of the electric guitars, giving the track a more celebratory, quietly joyful feel.

“I like the feeling runnin’ with the wind

That's why I went and did what I did

He and I both had our guns to sling

Damn, that showdown was embarrassing”

The protagonist of ‘First Rodeo’ begins by looking back at a past relationship, recalling how the romance ended less than amicably. She admits they both fired shots at one another, and implies she regrets how they acted, describing the clash as ‘embarrassing’.

“Now I get a couple rips in my jeans

And I'm still here brushing off a couple things

It doesn't scare or bother you, at least it seems

I just wanna tell you ‘fore I get back in the ring”

Here, the narrator describes how she has a few battle scars as a result of the showdown referenced in the first verse. The language stays true to the Wild West theme, with Kelsea painting a vibrant picture of an outlaw who takes part in a quick draw duel with an ex.

The protagonist expresses her pleasant surprise at the fact that her new partner doesn't appear to be fazed by the fact that the previous relationship ended with guns a-blazing.

“I rode off into the sunset

The red dust hadn't been kicked up yet

Thought I knew all of the moves

Thought I could ride like a pro

Never knew I'd have a round two

I fell off, babe, but I found you

Take my heart but take it slow

‘Cause this ain't my first rodeo”

The narrator describes how she rode her horse off into the sunset, like a true Western outlaw, before admitting she thought she already knew all the moves when entering the rodeo ring.

The protagonist recounts falling off during one of these rodeos, symbolising the breakdown of the aforementioned relationship. She asks her current lover to please take things slowly, as she eases back into the dating arena for another metaphorical rodeo.

“Let ‘em run, baby, don't you hold your horses back

Love's the wild, wild West, ain't gotta tell me that

But when you put your arms around me I don't mind

You make me forget about the last time”

Although requesting that they don't rush anything with this new relationship, she nonetheless encourages her partner to let their horses run freely and to be the person he wants to be. She inventively likens love to ‘the wild, wild West’ due to the emotional dangers and potential heartbreak that lurks around the corner. However, her new flame brings her such happiness that she forgets about what happened last time.

“High up in the saddle, we're flying

Lay me down under amber stars shining

Tell me that it's gonna be alright

Even though we never know

If we're gonna make it out alive

But when it comes to me and you I can't not try

Ain't it crazy, baby, how I'd never know you

If I never rode off into the sunset

Off into the sunset”

The protagonist doubles-down on the rich, Wild Wild-inspired imagery by describing the euphoria of riding high together on this new path with her partner. The narrator decides to accept the uncertainty of the road ahead, and to dive in ‘Heartfirst anyway. She toasts how she would've never met her current lover if it wasn't for the pain of ending the past relationship that she depicts in the opening verse.

In a press release accompanying the arrival of PATTERNS, Kelsea Ballerini explained how a decidedly candid, honest approach to songwriting drove the album's writing sessions.

The ‘Mountain with a View’ singer-songwriter reflected, “I knew that everyone expects me to be sunshine and rainbows, weather the storms, gooey, gushy love songs. But I knew we could keep that in-the-emotions of Welcome Mat, which was a season of life, with all the details and the moments – and move forward. This is more diary, less interview. It took me several months of writing to figure it out”.

Kelsea Ballerini went on to touch on her creative partnership with Alysa Vanderheym, “I wanted this album to really feel in the music. We knew we’d bring in amazing players, but we really got the demos dialed in to where Alysa’d say, ‘We’re going to keep this pad, then say to (multi-instrumentalist) Ilya (Toshinsky) or (electric guitarist) Derek (Wells), ‘Can you replace this?’ It was important to me that this felt like a live record, because these songs were written in the emotions as the emotions were happening. I wanted this to feel or have that immediacy”.

“I like the feeling runnin’ with the wind

That's why I went and did what I did

He and I both had our guns to sling

Damn, that showdown was embarrassing

-

Now I get a couple rips in my jeans

And I'm still here brushing off a couple things

It doesn't scare or bother you, at least it seems

I just wanna tell you ‘fore I get back in the ring

-

I rode off into the sunset

The red dust hadn't been kicked up yet

Thought I knew all of the moves

Thought I could ride like a pro

Never knew I'd have a round two

I fell off, babe, but I found you

Take my heart but take it slow

‘Cause this ain't my first rodeo

-

Let ‘em run, baby, don't you hold your horses back

Love's the wild, wild West, ain't gotta tell me that

But when you put your arms around me I don't mind

You make me forget about the last time

-

I rode off into the sunset

The red dust hadn't been kicked up yet

Thought I knew all of the moves

Thought I could ride like a pro

Never knew I'd have a round two

I fell off babe, but I found you

Take my heart but take it slow

‘Cause this ain't my first rodeo

-

High up in the saddle, we're flying

Lay me down under amber stars shining

Tell me that it's gonna be alright

Even though we never know

If we're gonna make it out alive

But when it comes to me and you I can't not try

Ain't it crazy, baby, how I'd never know you

If I never rode off into the sunset

Off into the sunset

-

I rode off into the sunset

The red dust hadn't been kicked up yet

Thought I knew all the moves

Thought I could ride like a pro

Never knew I'd have a round two

I fell off, babe, but I found you

Take my heart, but take it slow

‘Cause this ain't my first rodeo

-

Don't let me go, take it slow

Baby, don't let me go, take it slow

Rodeo

Don't let me go, take it slow

Baby, don't let me go, take it slow

Rodeo

Don't let me go, take it slow

Baby, don't let me go, take it slow

Rodeo”

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